Zilch

The trail
One of Thailand's better known hot springs is the hot spring of Mae Kasa, located at the foot of the mountains separating Mae Sot district from the rest of central Thailand's Tak province.

Despite it's prominence there is still some difficulties in finding the soak site. First one steers up the highway 105 to the north of Mae Sot until km 13/14 where one goes through a big gate and then continues onwards to the village of Mae Kasa, 7 km's away.

In the village directions to the hot spring stop and one needs to find one's own way to the other side of the village where the road continues. The hot spring is located about a km out of the village. The main site is down a dirt road on your left, though there are some springs visible on the right but these are for some reason off-limits, there's a big fence around them. Driving down the dirt road one comes to a rudimentary parking below a dam which seems to dam the adjacent stream to create a lake for ecstatic (?) reasons.

Are those eggs boiled yet?

Bubbly
From the parking area one can see what's the highlight of this soak site, a bubbling hot spring which one can walk around. Two girls are trying to boil eggs directly in the spring; as it transpires the only springs related activity on offer.

We gather our soaking stuff and confidently walk up to the surrounding buildings, seeing that there was a large pond empty. Unfortunately whatever the purpose was of these buildings, they are now in open season for vandals and miscreants to plunder and spoil. There is no way to soak at this hot spring!

Possibly sometime last century this was the soak site ...

And that seems to contrast with the vibrant feeling of the direct hot spring site. There are about 2 dozen other visitors who are all hanging out at the shops / bars surrounding the parking area. Possibly this is the best place to relax in this area?

The cave? Waterfall?
Somewhere I read something about there being a waterfall and because of the lay of the land, it has to be upstream. We climbed up the side of the dam to see the recently dammed lake. There's a makeshift temple on an island in the center which can be reached by a rickety swing bridge.

Beyond the temple is more parking place and a surprisingly well maintained track, well for 5 meters that is. After that deterioration sets in and the couple of bridges across the dry stream have all been set alight some time in the past, I seem to be getting an idea about what kinds of past-time are hot here.
Halfway up a very steep track we give up, it doesn't seem to be leading anywhere and is not used often anymore.

I later learn that one could continue onwards to a mouth of a cave over which a small stream falls, but seeing there's no stream there's also no waterfall or is that such a weird idea?

Andy Daniels adds

'After looking around at the cool hot springs area I decided to walk up a trail/staircase that went up to a budhist cave. The trail was long and pretty steap. After talking to my dad, who called me while on the trail, I continued to walk and a guide with some monks said he could show me the cave for 300B or else it was locked closed. I told him I would not pay that and would just see what I could see. Thats what I did, the cave was pretty cool but I didn't go too far in, and was happy with what I saw'.

No waterfall even though websites such as wikitravel proclaim the following:

'This large waterfall is located in Tambon Mae Kasa. There is a path leading the way up to a high mountain. A cave in front of the waterfall has a 5 m wide stream of water which serves as an entrance to the waterfall'.

Thailandcaves adds that there are

'... over 850 steps to ascend to entrance, but the cave is impressive. A series of large chambers descend steeply to a large passage which leads to a pool of water where the tour stops. Wading the shallow pool gices access to around 100m of muddy passage that eventually chokes'.

There are also a number of photo's of the cave. But none of the waterfall ...

Other experiences
The official wikitravel entry (undated) on Mae Kasa hot springs goes as follows:

'This hot well of 2 m wide is located in Tambon Mae Kasa, right in the village. Hot and cool streams flow to meet at this well. Visitors can smell sulphur throughout the village and see slight vapour just above the ground. At an edge of the well, the water is easily seen boiling and its temperature is fairly high. A private room for mineral bathing is available. The village is amidst the beauty of nature encompassed by a high mountain and farming land'.

Andy Daniels recounts from last year:

'The hot spings where a bunch of wells with artesian (flowing water) hot water coming out. Mineral deposits had formed around the wells, there were maybe 4 total and some places where the water was just coming out of the ground. The water was too hot to soak and there were not many good pools. The only good pool was in direct sunlight and it was the middle of the day so I didn't soak. There was a park area around one of the well things that had grass and some food venders. It looked like they were working to build the hot spings up more, there was also a large sized pool that was not filled with water, and some privat rooms with little tile tubs that did not look maintained'.

Bangyai was more lucky and witnessed real soakers in the now empty pond:

'As hot springs go, nothing special but there were a few people there splashing around and boiling their eggs. I didn't fancy boiling my eggs so we hit the road again heading north for Mae Sariang'.

And elsewhere near Mae Sot
Mae Sot is very much the main town in this area. Previously this Soaking in Siam has highlighted hot springs in Umphang (due south of Mae Sot), however there is also a hot spring in Phop Phra district to the south of Mae Sot.

A couple of maps indicate there being another less well-known hot spring, Huai Numnak hot spring, also known as Pha Charoen hot spring which refers to the national park in which it is located (link to website with mention of hot spring).

Andy Daniels has also visited this hot spring which can be accessed by taking highway 1206 from the district headquarters itself. He describes his trip as follows:

'It was out in the middle of no where with no signed but I was able to find it after I passed it once and came back. It was large holes with really hot water, and completely natural. There was a woman in the house nearby that couldn't speak any english but was very nice, and was grinding rice separating the grain from the plant casing. I tried to soak my feet in some smaller concrete tubs near the source but they were too hot, I think the locals use them too cook eggs, that seems to be the main thing locals use the hot water for. Also the lady in the house had hot springs water piped to her house. She could tell I wanted to soak somewhere since I came all the way out there so she showed me where they clean dishes and I took one of the tubs they used to wash dished and soaked my feet, even then I had to let the water cool off for a while'.

So that's why I didn't bother heading there ...

Andy's photo of Huai Namnuk hot spring. Another photo can be found here.

Getting there: From Mae Sot take highway 105 north until just beyond km 13. Take the road to the east and continue until the road sort of ends in Mae Kasa village. Try following the most used road and you'll emerge on the other side of the village nearer the mountains. The hot spring is only a km away, below a dam.

Soaking Experience: Zilch!

Overall impression: Underwhelming.

A natural spring at Mae Kasa.

Your Chiang Mai vid's

The website openchiangmai.com has been busy posting youtube vids concerning hot springs in and around of Chiang Mai during the last 12 months.
I thought that reposting the links would add another dimension to this site, unfortunately I am located in a real crap part of Asia where internet connections are soooo slooooow ...

'Hot Spring Pong Kwao Samoeng Chiang Mai
Hot Spring Pong Kwao.
Located in Moo 3, Tambon Pong Kwao Samoeng A. Samoeng over an area approximately 3 miles from Route Farm, about 30 km Samoeng hot springs are about 90 degrees Celsius'.

'Fang Hot Spring.
Away from Fang to the northwest about 8 km in Ban spin hot water caused the granite is almost boiling hot (between 90 ° -100? SOI) has more than 50 of the spring.
Fang hot springs here is considered a hot spring. Most impressive, it is known as top. In Thailand, because there really is not even a hot springs is a relatively wide area. As seen in the video. It also highlights the tallest fountain as well. This will increase to every 30 minutes because it will look like under the tank when the water together until it is full tank. Up another time. This will heat about 150 í c ever to be increased by about 30-50 meters high at all, but now he has to put Valve then. That if we go to closing on weekdays. Because very few tourists. Because he used pressure to heat the generator, we should go on holiday will be more convenient.
Those who love nature'.

'Pong Arng Hot Spring
Located in the area. Chiang Dao National Park. A small hot spring sulfur gas oil steam and smoke up. Water flow throughout the year. Water temperature 70-80 degrees C hot spring located in the entrance area Pong village 22 km of road separate bowl Muang Ngai - Na Wai. Approximately two miles from junction kilometers occupies several bird species are abundant. From the National Park to the south about 3 kms.
How to get there
Highway 107 lines Mai - Fang. Ping เลียบแม่น้ำ shortcut. Pa Dao left side. The Ping River in Chiang Dao District. Slurry is a good condition.
For couples on romantic love and nature'.

'San Kamphaeng [Sankamphaeng] Hot Spring is located just 23 km from San Kamphaeng district and about 36 km from Chiang Mai City. It is situated amid natural surroundings of shady trees and fertile hills. The drive to the small weaving village of San Kamphaeng passes by a large number of handicraft shops and the famous umbrella village of Bo Sang. Some 3km beyond the village is the pleasant forty-acre park containing the hot springs.
The park has been well landscaped and in the cool season the flowers are very lovely making it a good place for picnics. There you can find a camping area, a swimming pool, restaurant dining facilities and segregated mineral water bathing room huts are also available.
The San Kamphaeng Hot Spring is the ideal destination for health and physical well being. The water has high sulphur content and possesses curative and restorative properties. This is a very active geological area. The water, at a temperature of a hundred degrees centigrade, comes from a deep source. Attempts have been made to harness this energy and there is a research station nearby with information on display'.

'Thep Phanom Hot Springs
(KM.9 approximately 39 km. from Mae Chaem)
A small geyser spouts hot water, but the site is not inspiring. Keys to the huts for mineral baths are available at the building uphill to the left of the entrance gate'.

'Phrao Hot Spring [Nong Khrok].
Hot Springs over the five ponds on the plains on foot of the hill The fault basin on the north edge dazzle Sulfide minerals found in algae in spring track.
Location.
Ban Nong Krok Prao Sai district, Chiang Mai Province.
How to get there
by car from Chiang Mai province. North of Highway 1001 (Chiang Mai - Phrao) through Sansai. Phrao district until the distance is 100 kilometers to the west and turn left. By Highway 1150 (Phrao - Chiang Dao) SAO Pong on the principles of 22.7 km (I Phrao 7 km) north, turn right, turn left 3.9 km to the west one kilometer'.

'Pong Duat Pa Pae (One of Unseen in Thailand) [Pong Duet]
Located in Mae Taeng District, some 40 kilometres from Chiang Mai town. The hot spring spurts out steam 4 metres above ground and is situated amid a forest that has a strong sulphuric scent. To get there, drive on Mae Malai-Pai Road at Km.42 then turn right for 6.5 kilometres'.

Raft

The spring itself gushing from the rock.

And I name you ....
How does one call a hot spring for which there is no name? The hot spring located along the Mae Klong river, Umphang district (Um Pang / Um Phang?), Tak is referred to by Thai as simply hot spring ('Pong Nam Ron') as do the local Karen (though 'Thi Ko' has a different sound). So should we name this Umphang hot spring? Or Mae Klong? Or use the Thai or Karen version?

To avoid confusion let's settle on the Mae Klong hot spring.

Twisted
Already mentioned is the fact that this hot spring is to be found in the district of Umphang, Tak province.

Umphang is probably one of the most remotest districts in the whole of Thailand. Located to the north of Bangkok, it's only road connection to the rest of the Thai nation actually runs northwards for 150+ kms before one can moves closer to Bangkok. This road (connecting to the town of Mae Sot) contains no less than 1200 curves and corners (Wikipedia) and is up there with some of Asia's most rollercoaster rides (see also Lao, road to Luang Prabang). Something to be proud of one can even buy t-shirts with the correct number of curves.

Largely populated by Karen (who have their own language), Thai language seems a minority language even giving Burmese more precedent.

Besides the twisting road, Umphang gains it's claim to fame by having Thailand's biggest waterfall, Thi Lo Su (Wikipedia, see also World of Waterfalls blog entry). Unfortunately world's leading travel guide book (Lonely Planet) knows exactly where the peanuts are best at which bar but does not seem to comprehend that it's more fitting info to tell readers that the access road to this Thai-class waterfall is impossible during the rainy season i.e. until November-ish.

Voting
It thus requires a raft plus a walk-in meaning a night should be spent at the foot of these falls.

Deliberation on the family front shows a slight majority in favour with a teenage son using his veto powers. Seeing his father nearly bleed to death the day before (or so it seemed) brought on by an attack of blood thirsty leeches while visiting another waterfall along the Mae Sot - Tak highway, there was no way he was spending a night somewhere outside of civilization (as characterized by the existence of wifi). Might seem like a waste.

So the alternative is a full day rafting. Which actually meant just 5 hours. But not really rafting, a float. Along the way we would be going through no less than 2 (!) rapids, pass under a waterfall, enjoy the silence of one of Southeast Asia's biggest undisturbed forests (the so-called Western Forest Complex of which Umphang Wildlife Refuge is just a small part of) and naturally the highlight of the tour a pass (and stop) at a hot spring.

Rafting down the Mae Klong river through virgin forest.

Getting somewhere
But not so naturally of course.

Setting off from the village of Umphang early morning, first up is the waterfall of Thi Lo Jau or Sai Rung (Sai Fon?). The raft floats under this waterfall and if there's any sun (from November onwards?) then a rainbow can be seen. Such it's name(s) which translate from Thai and Karen into rainbow falls.

Next up is the hot spring. Located next to a forest ranger camp (or is it the other way around?) there has been some effort been put in to make these appealing to the mostly Thai tourists. The spring itself is only located about 20m from the main river. Straight after the spring the side walls have been shored up with bamboo to prevent the sandy soil from caving in, the stream bed being 3m lower than the banks.
Roughly 5m down a number of sand bags have been placed to create a 30-50cm deep pool. Directly above the sandbags is a bridge with a bamboo ladder affording access to the soaking area.

Get in!

Toilets are available at the ranger station, 10m away. Rafts dock at the merging of the spring flow with the river. As one of the most natural springs I've yet encountered in Thailand, kudo's must be awarded to the lack of development and the natural undisturbedness of this hot spring.

That said, in season (from November onwards), hundreds of tourists file through here every morning en-route to possible better things downstream. One would hate to be here on such a day and I have seen photo's on the net with quite a few sardines packed into the hot pond complete with life jackets and all, let alone just your usual all day stinky clothes. Here one blogger recounts 25 soakers. This photo has just 19 soakers

The flow though is considerable and the temperature delightful (about 40C?), one could only wish to stay longer. Another great treat is to swim at the confluence. The streams of hot and cold alternate making this a great and exotic way of enjoying the water.

Alas sometime one does need to move on.

A sideways look from the entrance bridge.

Andy
Prominently among bloggers on this hot spring I regard the postings by Andy Daniels who whilst touring Thailand turned into a soakophile. On Mae Klong hot spring:

'Then the hot springs were wonderful. Completely natural with maybe 102 degree water and under bamboo shade. I soaked ate some breakfast and soaked some more. Another hot springer showed up with his thai girlfriend, they also set up a special trip to spend hours at the springs. I was happy not to be the only crazy farang but still got all the attenting because the locals would say this crazy farang has been hears since just past 8 am and hardly anyone could believe it. My guides actually wanted to leave at 11:30 because the message about how long I was going to be there did not get to everyone so I guess the driver had been waiting for me since 9 or 10. I ddin't want to leave and jumped in the springs quickly and when I got out my guides said I could stay and go back with the other springer I had met. He had actually set it up because he could speak thai, and the guides talked to each other and agreed that I could go with the other guys. So my guides left me at the springs. I soaked for another 1.5 hours or so and then we all left together after eating some lunch ...'.

Other blog reports feature the fact that during season snacks are available here.

An impromptu mud bath.

Le So
Otherwise the official map of Tak province (see below) indicates another Umphang area located hot spring by the name of Le So Pong Nam Ron waterfall which is located near Le So village on the Mae Lumung river (lower right hand corner of map).
On internet I've yet to find anything while using the terms above. However the Umphang Phudoi.com has a map included on their website which refers to Liso hot spring. More info though also seems non-existent.



Getting there: From Umphang only rafts make it here so it seems.

Soaking experience: No other visitors meant having the place to one's own. A very relaxing and natural soak.

Overall impression: One of the better and natural soaks Thailand possesses, if only there were more!

Author enjoying the hot and cold.

Ranong in the press

Thailand's assumed capital of soaking (they and the rest of the world are yet to be informed) receive a positive mention in yesterday's Bangkok Post. The transcript:

'Ranong taps hot spring to lure tourists Ranong plans to develop the site of a hot spring in Ban Phon Rang and promote it as its new tourist destination. It has earmarked 35 million baht for the site in Namtok Ngao National Park in Muang district of the province. The temperature in hot spring averages around 40 Celsius.
The park already boasts three dip pools and two baths, each one metre in diameter, and a bigger one eight times that size, along with a rest area, public toilets and accommodation.
According to chairman of the provincial administrative organisation, Napa Natheethong, the hot spring, noted for its clear water which is free of sulphur stench typical of others elsewhere, has the potential to become a major tourist attraction.
He plans to increase the number of public baths, expand the sulphur pools, and at the same time add a fitness facility, improve the road leading to the hot spring as well as tourist accommodation'.

This is a hot spring which I hadn't included yet in the listings. Am thinking of visiting Ranong possibly in November. Slightly more info can be found on this website of the national park, but it does not seem to be a well known place. It's fame is due to the waterfall.
Doubtful that despite the investments made whether the park will see any major swing upwards in visitors. Ranong is between tourist places and there aren't that many inhabitants nearby. And there are many more (accessible) hot springs in Ranong, even closer to town. And somehow government projects as such fail to reap (m)any benefits.
Must say that the accompanying picture does look invitingly ... Especially if there are no other soakers.

Under water

Finding
The first day of this year saw me visit two waterfalls (Cyber and Pha Rom Yen), the day to be capped off with a visit to the local hot spring. One of the first problems with finding soaking sites in Thailand is exactly that, the finding.

From info I had printed before I knew that Samo Thong was a hot spring in Uthai Thani province. Somewhere in Tambon Khok Khwai. From highway 3282 north of Ban Rai the hot spring was mentioned to be a whopping 24 kms from the highway.

Submerged
Samo Thong hot spring had been an usual hot spring, the water gushing from the ground and flowing away. However the area around it had been flooded when a large irrigation dam was constructed, creating Huai Khun Kaeo reservoir. But a decision was made to save the springs and a earth bund had been erected around and over the springs so that they would not be flooded.

The above mentioned highway follows the northern stretches of the reservoir and the turn off (a ridiculous 150 degree turn) were clear, only 24 km to go. Surprise, surprise, it's just a km up this road. Why the disinformation?

Development awaited
After saving the springs, it was thought that the soaks would become attraction points and a larger island was created to stimulate future recreative development. Thus when one arrives there's a big car park with to your right a single restaurant. Left is an official building which it turns out sells soaking tickets, rents out bicycles, where you pay for camping and provides a massage if required.

Before purchasing the right to a soak though, let's discover what the soak entails. Along 1 shore are a number of soak cells. Still fail to grasp why they would put these at such a place with that beautiful view; if the 4 person tubs inside fail to have any view than that of the inner walls and roof which does excellent work to capture the hot air, why come here? Towards the back are bigger cells, with bigger tubs and the exclusivity of being able to access a toilet. Somewhere forlorn between the various structures is a covered foot bath which is packed this New Year's day.

Biding your time, waiting for a space to soak your feet?

The springs
Clearly it's a hot spring resort but where is the hot spring itself? In a depression one sees a pond with water bubbling up. that must be it. But on closer inspection the bubbles come from blue pipes and soon this flow stops temporarily as a mechanic is throwing some taps. Opposite this though are 2 cement rings sticky up, revealing two deep hot water sources. One distinctly has some sulfur smells.

The source?

Soaking
This being a family day we and the mother-in-law rent ourselves a cabin. The moment we take possession of our cell the tub is empty, but water flows in swiftly, but also disappears just as fast. The attendant gets down the slope of the reservoir slope turns the discharge tap and our tub begins to fill. We close the door, undress and envelop ourselves in the heat.

Your Thai soak cell.

For the faithful
After the soak we wander around the island which has a second attraction a 20m high golden Buddha. It sees nearly more visitors than the springs themselves. But that's all there is to see.


Experience discussed
I must say I enjoyed this find. But what always trouble's me is that much more could be made of the location. The reservoir continues for miles to the southwest, in the opposing direction are high mountains (the 1500m + Khao Yai). Due to it be an island seclusion, privacy is guaranteed on three sides.

Soaks should be followed by a refreshing plunge and lo and behold this lake is just meters away from the soak sites, but inaccessible. When will be a real soak established in Thailand?

Just the other day I was looking at a programme which is aired every weekend on Channelnewsasia. It involves two middle age Japanese ladies who are traveling and discovering their own country, Japan. They focus mostly on food but yesterday they also visited 3 onsens on the Izu peninsula. But hey, two onsens were really special (one added brime, the other Arame, edible sea weed) while the third had a beautiful sweeping view of the sea. Why is that not possible here?

From the internet
Tourism Thailand:

'This is a small spring that sprouts up to the surface. The hot water from underground converges to form a little stream that flows down to Than Khok Khwai or Huai Khun Kaeo. The water is clear and pungent with the aroma of sulphur. The water is so hot that it can boil an egg in 5 minutes. The Royla Irrigation Department has constructed Huai Khun Kaeo Reservoir, flooding the stream and the spring itself. However, and earth levee has been developed around the spring and some landscaping has been done to create a good rest area for visitors. The spring has an area of 4,000 square metres and consists of 3 springs. A mineral bath is available for tourists and nearby is a 20-metre-high Buddha image sitting high amidst the wonderful scenery of the area'.

The only other original source is a blog on Uthai thani province:

'Formerly a natural hot spring gushing over the ground's surface, the water is clear, but with a sulfur dioxide semll. The temperature of the spring sits between 80-86 C, hot enough to boil an egg in five minutes. The hot spring has now been modified into a public park 4,00o square meter with bathing pools for visitors to enjoy a healthy bath. The public park has three hot spring wells 4-5 meters deep, with cement rimes around them one meter high. In the middle of the park sits a Buddha statue some 20 meters tall painted in gold, which can be seen from a good distance. Near the statue you'll find a reservoir. This landscape forms a beautiful scene and a pleasant atmosphere. visitors can enjoy fishing or cycling around the reservoir'.

Cement rimes?

Getting there: From Ban Rai take the 3282 highway north in the direction of Lan Sak. At km marker 41 follow the road heading due east (you'll be coming from the northeast) and follow for 1 km and you are there.

Soaking experience: This being a relatively cool day, the soak at the end of the afternoon certainly was worth the visit. That said, once inside the soaking cell, the experience is the same whether you are in Samo Thong or somewhere else in Thailand. Depends on your mood.

Overall impression: Good, the area around is certainly relaxing. Possible because of new year, business (such as refreshments and restaurants) were doing well, adding to a conducive atmosphere. A stroll around the island is possible and pleasing with sights of mountains and the lake.

Striking a pose for 2010?

Another Bo Klueng visit

A small shrine between the pools and the hot spring stream above.

Over the past New Year period I managed to visit Ratchaburi province once more. Coming more than one and half years after my initial visit I was astounded by the development the area beyond Suan Phueng was undergoing. Everywhere resorts were springing up and were expectingly looking to the upcoming holidays as most were to be packed.

I once more visited Bo Klueng hot spring and lo and behold it being a Tuesday it was once more being cleaned (prior visit had the same result but that was on a Monday). That sucks. We were not the only disappointed, there were quite a few visitors, all equally underwhelmed by the inability to soak.

Hot spring pool empty and other pool off limits as exemplified by chair with sign board.

The area beyond the pools had seen a fence being drawn up, but only for 50 m. Otherwise despite the boom witnessed elsewhere no investments had been made.

Unfortunately no soaking experience, again the impression that this is one of Thailand's best.

There is now a web site for the place (in Thai).

My family and I in the hot stream

Links to blogs on waterfalls nearby: Kao Chon (updated) and Pha Toei.